High School Bands Profit From Serving As Competition Hosts

May 29, 1985|By Ramona Whaley, Special to The Sentinel

Apopka High and West Orange High School are cashing in on two bits of good luck that both share.

One is that the school auditoriums are the best in the county. The other is that Central Florida's tourist attractions such as Walt Disney World make the schools popular sites for high school band competitions.

It adds up to about $2,000 annually for each school's band program.

Through local tour package companies, the auditoriums are rented for competitions several Saturdays each year. During the trip to the competition the participants visit tourist attractions.

Competition sponsors seek out the schools because the auditoriums have good acoustics, West Orange High band director Harold Cooper said.

Bill Bradshaw, Apopka High School's band director, said the rental proceeds go to the Orange County school system.

The school bands earn money by having members act as hosts and campus guides for the out-of-town students. A student is assigned to meet each busload of visitors and escort them to the auditorium, warmup rooms, and the stadium for photo sessions.

Apopka and West Orange band students also set up stage chairs and stands for each visiting band's performance. They pass out programs and guard the doors to prevent interruptions.

The local youths provide the services voluntarily, but the tour companies donate $300 to $500 per contest to the host bands.

Host band students also earn money by operating concession stands during the competitions.

West Orange usually has one marching contest each fall and three concert competitions in the spring. Apopka's six competitions this year were all in the spring and timed to coincide with the visiting students' spring breaks.

''It's a godsend,'' Cooper said.

He said the host chores provide good lessons for his band members.

''We can hear some of the worst and some of the finest bands in the nation. Some of these high school bands are of college quality, especialy the ones from Texas. Texas is the best band state in the country, we think,'' Cooper said.

West Orange High began accepting competitions several years ago through a local tour firm. Apopka got involved through tour companies in New York and Michigan.

The only drawback is that the two local school bands are ineligible to enter the contests for which they are hosts, although they sometimes give exhibition performances.

There is another benefit to the host project.

''They always make some new friends and some of them even swap addresses and stay in touch,'' Cooper said.